2022 Land Rover Defender
J.D. Power, one of the leading suppliers of auto dependability data, just released a plethora of data you’ll want to examine before buying your next car.
The data is great news for Dodge Ram, Volvo and Nissan owners, whose list of problems improved the most in the “problems per hundred” vehicles, or “PP100.”
Ram had 77 PP100 improvement, Volvo 41 PP100 improvement and Nissan 35 PP100 improvement.
It’s not such good news for Land Rover owners, whose cars rank the lowest of any passenger vehicle in the United States. Though its standing improved somewhat from 2022’s ranking of 284 PP100, Land Rover ranks as the least reliable badge at 273 PP100 for 2023.
The study itself examined how 2020 model-year vehicles are currently performing in terms of quality, component replacement and appeal—including those vehicles with new technology—and helps automotive manufacturers design and build better vehicles to stand the test of time and promote higher resale value.
One of the most compelling aspects of the study is that there are more computer components and technology than ever before in modern automobiles. More components can mean more problems and, surprisingly, higher-priced cars can lead the list.
“It is typical in the automotive industry to roll out concepts and features by putting them in premium vehicles first,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “A bellwether for mass market brands looking to adopt and implement these technology features into their portfolio is in two of the industry’s preeminent studies, the J.D. Power Initial Quality StudySM (IQS) and the Vehicle Dependability Study. Connecting insights from the two studies better informs automakers by substantiating trends and showcasing how some automakers are preventing problems from occurring early on and throughout the ownership experience.”
The 3-year-old vehicles measured in this year’s study were first examined in the 2020 U.S. Initial Quality Study. Six of the 10 highest-ranked brands in the 2020 IQS are among the 10 highest-ranked brands in this year’s VDS.
Some of the most deteriorated areas from 90 days to three years of ownership are starter battery failures, outdated maps and Android Auto/Apple Car Play and voice recognition problems, which I’ve written about extensively in this column. The increase in problems in the technology area shows the importance that over-the-air updates can play in correcting issues with audio systems and keeping the information in them up to date.
The study was redesigned in 2022 to include features and technology that are available in current vehicles and now covers 184 specific problem areas across nine major vehicle categories: climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior features/controls/displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain and seats.
Here are key findings of the 2023 study:
Infotainment systems continue to be most problematic: The infotainment category continues to be the most problematic with an average of 49.9 PP100—almost twice as many problems as the next-highest category, which is exterior.
Six of the top 10 problem areas in the study are infotainment-related, including built-in voice recognition (7.2 PP100); Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.5 PP100); built-in Bluetooth system connectivity (4.0 PP100); touchscreen/display screen difficult to use (4.0 PP100); not enough power plugs/USB ports (3.8 PP100); and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.3 PP100).
“IQS and VDS data are telling us that if the Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity trend continues, this area could take over the least-coveted top spot for problems in long-term durability,” said Hanley in a press release.
Technology improves appeal for parts that seem outdated: Owners’ relationships with their vehicles goes beyond wear and tear on parts - it also includes their expectations of how up to date the technology remains over time. For example, satisfaction scores for vehicle condition improve when vehicles receive over-the-air software updates to infotainment systems that are perceived to not be meeting today’s standards.
Reduction in component replacement: Nearly two-thirds (63%) of vehicles required fewer component replacements in the past 12 months (excluding wear items), including key fob/key fob battery; brake rotors; headlight components/bulbs; and other exterior lights/bulbs, than in the 2022 study.
Tie for the most dependable model: The Toyota C-HR and Lexus RX are the highest-ranked models in the study, each with 111 PP100. Both models show improvement in eight of the nine problem categories from a year ago.
2023 Toyota CH R
The 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from 30,062 original owners of 2020 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded from August through November 2022.
